Patagonia Winter 2013

Our family has booked its winter holiday in Patagonia and you are welcome to join us for two weeks cross country and downhill skiing with a bit of dog sledding and tramping thrown in. We will be based in Ushuaia, the summer base for most trips to Antarctica and a winter sports playground.

Cerro Castor is Ushuaia’s main downhill field. At 54 degrees south and with 760 metres of chair lift accessed vertical descent and similar in size to Turoa it provides great skiing for everyone from beginners to experts. The surrounding valleys offer long, gentle cross country ski trails, while the Southern Andes a huge range of ski mountaineering.

This is a repeat of a trip we did four years ago, but departing a month earlier to ensure good cross country ski conditions. We plan to spend about half the days downhilling and half cross country skiing. On the odd day of bad weather or over-tired bodies there is plenty to see and do around Ushuaia.

We will be based in a small lodge or motel except for the occasional overnight ski tour to a refugio. We expect to self cater most nights and enjoy the restaurants on the other nights. A local specialty is the Asado restaurants which offer an all you can eat BBQ meal at very reasonable prices.

We are still confirming costs but are targeting a base land cost of $NZ1,600 which will include accommodation, airport transfers, BA Tango show, car rental and our guide services. Meals and activities are extra but are generally about half of NZ prices.

At present we are holding a number of seats Wellington-Santiago- Buenos Aires-Ushuaia return at $NZ2,060, but these will only be available for a week or so. Deposit of $400 required with full payment not till 1 June.